Personal Branding for Job Hunting: A #Bufferchat Recap

This week on #bufferchat, we talked all about how personal branding can impact the process of job hunting. The community shared advice about defining your personal brand, standing out during the application process, and much more.

Read on to discover all of the awesome advice that was shared during the chat!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and to meet hundreds of other smart marketers and social media enthusiasts. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join in to whichever chat time works best for you!

4 pm AEST (Sydney time)

9 am PT (San Francisco time)

This week’s stats:
Bufferchat #1 (4 pm AEST): 28 participants, reach of 1,022,676
Bufferchat #2 (9 am PT): 109 participants, reach of 1,288,848

Q1: Why is knowing your personal brand important while job seeking?

From the community:

• “How do you explain you to someone else, if you don’t truly know yourself?” @CodyJShipp
• “Your personal brand can set a first impression of you before you even meet someone in person. It’s so important!” @TheMikeyDunn
• “I’ve found knowing my personal brand helps me find jobs I actually WANT to apply to and could see myself succeeding with.” @ConnorELarsen

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

Q2: What advice would you give to someone who doesn’t know where to start with defining their personal brand?

From the community:

• “✅Define what you like to do the most. ✅Write down strengths and weaknesses for yourself as a professional. ✅Define your vision.” @Typ0Queen
• “Take a weekend and write an essay to yourself about who you are and what you do well. it Sounds simple but its tough!” @iAmDarthJones
• “Brainstorm. What matters most to you? What central message do you want to share with others?” @claireshegoes

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Q3: Before you apply for a job, how can you work on strengthening your personal brand?

From the community:

• “Try asking your connections to endorse you on LinkedIn. Quote them on your resume if possible.” @ChrisRiceCo
• “Google yourself, prune anything inappropriate even if years old. Lock down personal profiles. Refresh + update work profiles.” @ComfortWriter
• “Work on putting together a portfolio of sorts. If #SocialMedia is part of your expertise, prove it! Create engagement.” @samantha_rjsdr

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Q4: What are ways to stand out from the pool of applicants while applying for a job?

From the community:

• “Give them a solution for a problem they have. Companies want action, not words. Show them you’re an asset and an investment.” @mashleyvega
• “Tailor your application to the job and incorporate tidbits from the company’s site and describe how you fit in.” @Musolek
• “Start building relationships early and don’t stop. Actually interact WITH people. Those connections always help.” @martinlieberman

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

Q5: What are some tips for writing a great LinkedIn summary?

From the community:

• “#Storytelling is key to all forms of #writing, and LinkedIn summaries are no exception.” @KristinaAurelia
• “Add visuals, like a Slide deck or links to publications, articles, etc. The more you can show your work, the better!” @careersherpa
• “Your titles are already on the page. Say where you are going, not where you’ve been.” @eliztierney13

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Q6: What is the most interesting or most challenging question you’ve ever been asked during a job interview?

From the community:

• “What do you think you were brought on this earth to do? Was asked the question a couple of months ago. Made me pause.” @sudoyle
• “Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized ducks? And why? #bestinterviewquestionever.” @thebookoctopus
• “‘Why do you think we should hire you?’ Talk about point blank. ? You have to get your confidence game right!” @hirenoah

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Q7: How would you describe YOUR personal brand?

From the community:

• “Curious, creative, humorous, hard working, and quick witted, with a little super mom thrown in the mix.” @LeilaniRomer
• “Like a lighthouse in the fog, I guide brands to communicate their messages and write their #stories.” @brynhafemeister
• “I am a customer advocate, peer supporter, community builder, and social teacher.” @Toby_Metcalf

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to our awesome community for sharing such great insights in this chat!

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash